My friend and I were discussing Cyberpunk 2077 and he said that it looks miserable and not fun and I have to disagree. Sure it is a dark game set in a dystopian future but it also looks like a blast to play and an engrossing world and story. GTA IV and TLOU2 got similar criticism for being dark and not fun and I loved those games as well. Why can't something be dark and fun? Terminator 2 was actually a very dark movie but it was a big summer blockbuster. I am old enough to have seen it in a packed theater and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. Why can't games be the same way? Why does everything need to be lighthearted with a liberal does of sugar to be considered fun?
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What do gamers have against dark themed games?
- Thread starter Woggleman
- Start date
The Bloody-Nine
Member
DARK Souls trilogy is pretty dark and very much appreciated by gamers.
Represent.
Represent(ative) of bad opinions
They are fucking pussies.
TheMay30thMan
Member
Did you try saying all of this to your friend?
Represent.
Represent(ative) of bad opinions
The complaints were especially bad in the PS360 era.
People literally wanted Gears of War to be super colorful.
Now Gears 5 looks like Viva Pinata.
And I know we're not talking about color, this is a general statement.
People literally wanted Gears of War to be super colorful.
Now Gears 5 looks like Viva Pinata.
And I know we're not talking about color, this is a general statement.
Andrew Evenstar
Member
rey cist
anyways dark theme games are the best - re4, bloodborne etc -- i love dark, snowy settings in most of all the games i play. FF12's snowy area was awesome and i hope REVIII is great too.
anyways dark theme games are the best - re4, bloodborne etc -- i love dark, snowy settings in most of all the games i play. FF12's snowy area was awesome and i hope REVIII is great too.
Le Big Mac
Member
I don't think that's the major criticism of Tlou2 and GTA IV or a very good one for that matter.
GTA IV's problems from what I remember wasn't it being dark, it was pretty clunky to play with the shooting and the driving in that game being wack alongside bowling.
TLou2 has the BioInfinite problem where you're supposed to feel bad for killing named characters but you've killed countless npcs throughout the game so when the old adage of 'muh themes' or cycles of revenge comes out - none of the ideas espoused in the cutscenes match the gameplay.
An improvement on both is spec ops the line.
GTA IV's problems from what I remember wasn't it being dark, it was pretty clunky to play with the shooting and the driving in that game being wack alongside bowling.
TLou2 has the BioInfinite problem where you're supposed to feel bad for killing named characters but you've killed countless npcs throughout the game so when the old adage of 'muh themes' or cycles of revenge comes out - none of the ideas espoused in the cutscenes match the gameplay.
An improvement on both is spec ops the line.
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Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Cyberpunk 2077 is "cookie cutter" hipster/edgy dark. Hell, even the graphics are very colorful.
A game like Stasis is dark. Requiem: Avenging Angel is dark. Even the game Dead Space is darker than Cyberpunk with it's full blown nihilism and the whole truth behind human evolution and all.
A game like Stasis is dark. Requiem: Avenging Angel is dark. Even the game Dead Space is darker than Cyberpunk with it's full blown nihilism and the whole truth behind human evolution and all.
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SirTerry-T
Member
That cold chill of the Reaper breathing down your neck when people say they were old enough to see Terminator 2 not the first one, the second one in a theatre.
Fuck, I'm getting old....
Fuck, I'm getting old....
laynelane
Member
It depends on the person, what they're looking for, and even their mood at times. Some people want the happy escapism of a bright, colourful, and vivid game world. Maybe it helps them relax or decompress. Some want a story, some don't. Dark games might be considered stressful, boring, or not fun to those people. Catch them on a different day and they might be more into it.
You can see that lots of gamers like dark games - look at the success of Souls, for example. Perhaps your friend just has different taste than you.
You can see that lots of gamers like dark games - look at the success of Souls, for example. Perhaps your friend just has different taste than you.
SlimeGooGoo
Party Gooper
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Petaya Berry
Banned
This is subjective.
I really dislike dark themed games and my favorite games are colorful ones (Animal Crossing, Splatoon...). But I enjoyed Shin Megami Tensei IV, for example, while really disliked Dark Souls.
I really dislike dark themed games and my favorite games are colorful ones (Animal Crossing, Splatoon...). But I enjoyed Shin Megami Tensei IV, for example, while really disliked Dark Souls.
Umbral
Member
I’m one of the weirdos that preferred the driving in GTA IV over V. I liked the physics and slight unpredictability to it.
wordslaughter
Banned
Dark, serious and sexy is a winning combination.
It's why I Iove Mass Effect so much.
It's why I Iove Mass Effect so much.
Fuck you Andromeda
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Depends on the person.
I friend of mine droped Nier: Automata because of it's depressing themes. Which is kinda true, but some people like those things and some people just doesn't.
I friend of mine droped Nier: Automata because of it's depressing themes. Which is kinda true, but some people like those things and some people just doesn't.
Me too and the story was actually centered around criminals instead of some gang war between government agencies.
Gormless Noodle
Member
Dark can be fun sure. And I think Cyberpunk is probably fine, but I find the way they portray violence in the Last of Us 2 to be absolutely disgusting and I don't see myself ever playing it for example. So it just kind of depends on how it's done, for me at least.
The Fartist
Gold Member
And her I am waiting for a video game adaptation of Irreversible. 
I've beaten Manhunt 1-2 too many times.
I've beaten Manhunt 1-2 too many times.
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MrMephistoX
Member
I don’t have a problem with dark games per se but it really depends on my mood and society at any given time which is why I still haven’t booted up TLOU2: why play distopian virus game when it’s happening in the headlines?
Cyberpunk is a little different though so I’m eager to check it out once the next gen patches drop.
Cyberpunk is a little different though so I’m eager to check it out once the next gen patches drop.
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I think for awhile everything was dark and gritty, so it got old. It's all about balance.
spandexmonkey
Banned
Most games that try to be "dark" are just wearing costumes. They never delve into any dark material, often sticking to bad man did thing or I gotta gets revenge. Visual novels like House in Fata Morgana do get into it, but I've yet to find a single AAA or otherwise video game that ever comes close. To many chefs, to many committees, you can't be PC and be dark.
Night City looks beautifully scuzzy and grungy to me while looking high tech at the same time. GTA IV is the only other city in a game that captured scuzz well. You could almost smell the pissy project hallways. I guess I can understand where some people come from because I don't like cutesy stuff myself.
John2290
Member
I think it's got something to do with GTA, the best games in the series are light, comically toned, airy and full of sunshine while the worst games are dark, overly gritty and based off of New York without much comic relief to speak of. Personally, I love games with darker themes but I can certainly understand why someone would look at Bloodborne or the TLOU and go, nah, that's not what my free time is about. Personally, after playing TLOU and especially TLOU2 at times I'd put down the controller and be legit depressed for a bit, contrast that with something that is possibly even darker with Fallout 3 and adding that bit of light heartedness keeps your emotions paced. Fuck, I've not thought about this until now, I suppose most of all people associate it with a shit time and like I said with GTA, the brighter side... usually is a more fun time.
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JimboJones
Member
I don't think they do. The only time I remember it being a problem was when they tried to make light hearted platformers dark and edgy on PS2 for a while (Shadow with gun etc) to try and appeal to some demographic that didn't really exist.
Werewolf Jones
Gold Member
Reality is already harsh enough and normies want to escape reality not enter a world where shit is even more fucked. They don't got the mental fortitude to hack it.
GreatnessRD
Member
/thread
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Eh?
Edgy shit is extremely popular across all media.
Edgy shit is extremely popular across all media.
D3SCHA1N
Member
Might just be due to who I've surrounded myself with in my life but I don't think any of my friends would have such a reaction. Think you might be over-generalizing a fairly sizable and diverse group of people by suggesting "gamers" in general have this same train of thought though. Some people think that way, others are less narrow-minded.
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Raonak
Banned
Yeah idk.
TLOU2 was such an interesting case of a game going for a sad/dark ending, as the only ending.
Games rarely seem to do that, and i thought it was so well done. It was like watching a good sad movie.
I think some people are in the mindset that a game should just be happy and fun, rather than being able to convey a large variety of emotions.
TLOU2 was such an interesting case of a game going for a sad/dark ending, as the only ending.
Games rarely seem to do that, and i thought it was so well done. It was like watching a good sad movie.
I think some people are in the mindset that a game should just be happy and fun, rather than being able to convey a large variety of emotions.
Dark Star
Member
The way Souls games make feel is unrivaled. I love a dark and despair atmosphere in almost any game TBH, and I wish more games were spooky, melancholic and oppressive as hell. I'll always have way more fun with a game like Resident Evil or Silent Hill than some generic FPS that doesn't even have it's own theme lol. That being said, you don't have to be depressed to enjoy something dark, but I guess dark stuff usually has a time and place in media, sort of like the tradition of watching horror movies in October.
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Northeastmonk
Gold Member
Does driving at night make your friend feel depressed? 
I bet if you actually spent some time in the heart of your city, you might realize that it’s not always going to be like Whimsyshire.
https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Whimsyshire
Even in nature, organisms are fighting to stay alive. That beautiful landscape has to gather enough resources or it all starts to decay. There’s the survival of the fittest or natural selection going on at all times. Even if you paint everything with smiles and good feelings, there has to be a balance or it feels too good to be true.
The Last of Us 2 has a lot of beauty within its theater of death and disease. The beauty of it all is in the eye of the beholder.
I bet if you actually spent some time in the heart of your city, you might realize that it’s not always going to be like Whimsyshire.
https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Whimsyshire
Even in nature, organisms are fighting to stay alive. That beautiful landscape has to gather enough resources or it all starts to decay. There’s the survival of the fittest or natural selection going on at all times. Even if you paint everything with smiles and good feelings, there has to be a balance or it feels too good to be true.
The Last of Us 2 has a lot of beauty within its theater of death and disease. The beauty of it all is in the eye of the beholder.
Clarissa
Banned
My friend who is a Nintendo fanboy says that all games should be bright and colorful ; like how all Nintendo games are.
He often wonders why people play Sony games as they only have greens, browns and blacks and is so depressing to play.
W Woggleman Is your friend also a Nintendo fanboy?
He often wonders why people play Sony games as they only have greens, browns and blacks and is so depressing to play.
W Woggleman Is your friend also a Nintendo fanboy?
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BaneIsPain
Member
Find new friend,buddy.
Nothing wrong with a bit of dark every now and then, but it's not exactly something I'm looking forward to play for hours on end every single day with how this year has been going.
Though these days, if I wanted to traverse through a dark post apocalyptic dystopian open world all I really have to do is go outside.
Though these days, if I wanted to traverse through a dark post apocalyptic dystopian open world all I really have to do is go outside.
Dargor
Member
This thread is whack, no, gamers have nothing against dark themed games in general, in fact I would say its the opposite, they love them. (I don't think I need to make a huge list of acclaimed games to support this point)
TLOU2 didnt get criticized for being dark, it was criticized for being terribly written, doing a poor job in the thing that made the first game so popular.
GTA4 got criticized for removing many of the things you had in the previous games and also some of the worst characters in all of gta. Among other things, but iirc, those were the biggest.
And I will give you a pass to the fact that you made this thread out of the opinion of one talk you had with one friend.
TLOU2 didnt get criticized for being dark, it was criticized for being terribly written, doing a poor job in the thing that made the first game so popular.
GTA4 got criticized for removing many of the things you had in the previous games and also some of the worst characters in all of gta. Among other things, but iirc, those were the biggest.
And I will give you a pass to the fact that you made this thread out of the opinion of one talk you had with one friend.
JimboJones
Member
You are such a weirdo.
Lethal01
Member
Does driving at night make your friend feel depressed?
I bet if you actually spent some time in the heart of your city, you might realize that it’s not always going to be like Whimsyshire.
https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Whimsyshire
Even in nature, organisms are fighting to stay alive. That beautiful landscape has to gather enough resources or it all starts to decay. There’s the survival of the fittest or natural selection going on at all times. Even if you paint everything with smiles and good feelings, there has to be a balance or it feels too good to be true.
The Last of Us 2 has a lot of beauty within its theater of death and disease. The beauty of it all is in the eye of the beholder.
I'd say he's probably well aware which makes playing games that emulate it less appealing to him. Like someone who is barely scraping by doing a job they hate in the service industry may not wanna play a game about being in the service industry.
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
Good point. I think there’s a different side to games that put on a persona of its own. For one, you’re seeing marketing meant to appease a large majority of people. I don’t know how much footage is out there, but I’ve seen enough to know I’ll go into the world expecting to unravel the heart of the game.
I experience this with horror. I only like certain games. Resident Evil VII was good at immersing someone into living out this domestic nightmare. I’ve seen plenty of zombies and people being murdered to understand that sometimes you just want more. Sometimes a particular jump scare is all you need because nothing else is as immersive as you once felt with other games. You get tired of investing yourself when you only get the 15-20% of satisfaction during certain parts. Sometimes a good memory is all you have until someone creates a totally new experience. Which is why I’m anticipating Resident Evil Village and I think it will be incredible.
I think Cyberpunk 2077 has had too many backseat developers trying to say what it is and what it isn’t. It could be the best city immersive experience, but I haven’t played it yet. I think there are plenty of dark games, but we sorta hold onto the better times. The better times were classic titles like Silent Hill or Resident Evil 4. If you want that murder sim then maybe Manhunt is what you want.
honestly, I didn’t know how to answer because Cyberpunk 2077 has a lot of potential to it. Cancel culture won’t produce the next most amazing horror or dark gritty game. It will try to cancel that game for someone else’s agenda.
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